LACE index predicts age-specific unplanned readmissions and mortality after hospital discharge

• Published in: Aging clinical and experimental research 2021-04, Vol.33 (4), p.1041-1048
• Main Authors: Heppleston, Erica, Fry, Christopher H., Kelly, Kevin, Shepherd, Beth, Wright, Ria, Jones, Gareth, Robin, Jonathan, Murray, Paul, Fluck, David, Han, Thang S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Chronic illnesses; Emergency Service, Hospital; Female; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Hospitals; Humans; Length of Stay; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Morbidity; Mortality; Older people; Original; Original Article; Patient Discharge; Patient Readmission; Quality of care; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Survival analysis
• ISSN: 1720-8319; 1594-0667; 1720-8319
• DOI: 10.1007/s40520-020-01609-w

Background The LACE index scoring tool ( L ength of stay, A cuity of admission, C o-morbidities and E mergency department visits) has been designed to predict hospital readmissions. We evaluated the ability of the LACE index to predict age-specific frequent admissions and mortality. Methods Analysis of prospectively collected data of alive-discharge episodes between 01/04/2017 and 31/03/2019 in an NHS hospital. Data on 14,878 men and 17,392 women of mean age 64.0 years, SD = 20.5, range 18.0–106.7 years were analysed. The association of the LACE index with frequency of all-cause readmissions within 28 days of discharge and over a 2-year period, and with all-cause mortality within 30 days or within 6 months after discharge from hospital were evaluated. Results Within LACE index scores of 0–4, 5–9 or ≥ 10, the proportions of readmission ≥ 2 times within 28 days of discharge were 0.1, 1.3 and 9.2% (χ 2  = 3070, p